So it looks like Labour have their wish – they have an opportunity to ‘challenge’ the Lib Dems (as their email put it) over the Mansion Tax and stick to their promises.

A date has been set for a vote on the motion in the House of Commons, on Tuesday 12th March.

The text:

That this House believes that a mansion tax on properties worth over £2million, to fund a tax cut for millions of people on middle and low incomes, should be part of a fair tax system and calls on the Government to bring forward proposals at the earliest opportunity.

As this blog first revealed a few weeks ago, Labour were planning to go out of their way to propose a motion that would be agreeable to the Lib Dems.

The aim, a source from Ed Miliband’s office told me, was to put political pressure on the Conservatives to push towards a Mansion tax.

The Lib Dems are likely to accuse Labour of opportunism anyway, but they cannot accuse Labour of trying to sabotage the vote – it even calls for a tax cut for poorer workers.

The problem with the Mansion Tax is that it won´t remain a Mansions Tax. Once the principle of this tax has been introduced, bit by bit, Governments will find a way to raise further revenues using this tax by lowering the threshold and ultimately nearly every homeowner will be paying it. It´s a mistake.

MattB
Thanks for that very powerful argument in favour of a mansions tax. Using a tax on sitting pretty on land to reduce the tax burden on working & creating wealth, whilst reducing some of the gross inequality in how the tax burden falls. What a great idea.